Ughelli power plant to generate 700 megawatts next month

As the private sector strives hard to ensure reasonable investments in the power sector and thereby stabilise the supply of electricity in the country, one of the privatised power plants, Ughelli Power Plant in Delta State, is set to hit 700 megawatts next month.

The power plant when privatised was producing 150 megawatts, but currently generates 500 megawatts and plans to generate 1000 megawatts by early next year.

Its ultimate goal is to reach a capacity that would generate 3,000 megawatts in the next few years when the rehabilitation of the plant would have been completed.

Tony Elumelu, chairman, Heirs Holdings, who disclosed this at the ongoing West Africa Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), also urged the government to hands off from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

According to him, privatising TCN would form part of the measures to boost electricity distribution in the country now that the electricity sector is under private sector management.

The initiative, he said, apart from saving energy lost during transmission of power through obsolete transmission lines would save and yield revenue to all the stakeholders.

He, however, expressed optimism that the private sector will provide the fund and the needed manpower to strengthen and stabilise the network.

Meanwhile, Chinedu Nebo, the minister of power, has said that about $250 billion would be required to boost the development of the West Africa Power Pool and ultimately enhance electricity supply and by extension economic development of the sub-region.